Men of God: Bishops, Priests, and Monks

| Introduction | The Bishop | The Parish and Castle Priest | The Monk |

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There were many different kinds of clergymen during the middle ages. Each one had his own duties and power. Some had vast amounts of power politically. Of course, they all shared one trait, they were the mediators of God. They were the bridge between God and the other people.


The Bishop

Bishops were the leaders of the church. The leader of the bishops, of course, was the pope. Bishops were often very wealthy. They dressed lavishly, wearing many of the same clothes as a feudal lord. Of course, they had their own religious garments to wear also. Bishops often had their own castles from which to conduct business. In this way, they were firmly entrenched in the feudal society. They were accepted in royal courts and dallied in politics. They also had many duties. They levied taxes and settled on issues such as annulments of marriages.


Parish and Castle Priest

These priests said Mass for the town in the town church and also said Mass in the castle. This was done in its chapel. They also were responsible for the collection of church taxes and the spreading of alms among the poor. Often these priests were the only people who could write and read in the village. Thus, they were sometimes responsible for village and castle record keeping.


Monk

Monks lived in monasteries in groups. They usually wore brown robes with hoods around their heads. They were also well educated and could usually read and write Latin. Many monks devoted themselves to learning. Some of the first encyclopedias and histories were written by monks and then copied over by hand. Monks were often the only source of Bibles in medieval times. Bibles were also copied by hand because the printing press was not yet developed.




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